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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27831226">Opposing Counsel</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ordinaryorbit/pseuds/ordinaryorbit'>ordinaryorbit</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Law &amp; Order: SVU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>ADA Carisi, Defense Attorney Barba, Getting Together, M/M, Office Sex, Smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:46:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27831226</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ordinaryorbit/pseuds/ordinaryorbit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Barba is pissed off. Carisi is pissed off. Luckily they find a mutually beneficial way to work through it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>136</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“That little shit,” Rafael mutters to himself as he takes the stairs down to the bowels of the courthouse.  “That sneaky little shit.”<br/><br/>He knows all’s fair in the rough and tumble world of criminal law, but there’s a limit.  At the very least, he should have been granted the professional courtesy of a head’s up.<br/><br/>He winds his way gingerly down the labyrinthine hallway.  At the point where he has to duck to avoid an exposed pipe overhead, he begins to wonder whether Carisi’s been relegated to the janitor’s closet.<br/><br/>Two doors down from the janitor’s, as it turns out.  Rafael stares for a moment at the sign reading <em>Office of Dominick Carisi Jr., Esquire</em> - which is fashioned out of a piece of printer paper scotch-taped to the door - before knocking sharply.<br/><br/>“Come in!”<br/><br/>Carisi is bright-eyed when Rafael enters, clearly still basking in the glow of his victory.  Rafael doesn’t want to admit it, but it’s a good look on him.<br/><br/>“Thanks for stopping by, Barba.”<br/><br/>Rafael is not in the mood for pleasantries.  “Why the hell did you do that?” he asks, his anger simmering.<br/><br/>Carisi’s posture immediately goes from loose and carefree to rigid and defensive. The detective - no, <em>counselor</em> - eyes Rafael warily.<br/><br/>“What are you talking about, Barba?”<br/><br/>“You know what I’m talking about.  You flipped my fucking witness.”<br/><br/>Carisi barks out a harsh laugh.  “That’s what you’re upset about?  Look, Barba, all we did was convince her to tell the truth.  What, would you prefer that she had continued lying?”<br/><br/>It is preposterous for Carisi to even suggest it, and Rafael finds his ire increasing.<br/><br/>“Of course I wouldn’t want her to lie.  And for the record, I didn’t know that she was lying before.”<br/><br/>He may have suspected that she was, as her initial narrative had provided a little too tidy of an alibi.  But no need to tell Carisi that.<br/><br/>“And another thing.  I don’t need any judgment from you about my taking this case, Carisi.  Most of the cases I take on are pro bono, miscarriage of justice situations.  You know, that Project Innocence stuff you love.  But there are still bills to be paid.”<br/><br/>Carisi looks at Rafael carefully, as if trying to figure him out.  “I didn’t say anything about judging you, so that must be projection on your part.  Having some misgivings about you new job?”<br/><br/>“I really don’t need you psychoanalyzing me, Carisi.”<br/><br/>“And I don’t need you coming down here and chastising me for using a litigation tactic that you must have used a dozen times yourself.”<br/><br/>Carisi is starting to look incensed now.<br/><br/>“You know, Barba, I assumed you came down here to congratulate me.  If not for the win, then for being able to hold my own in court.  But I guess that was too much to hope for.”<br/><br/>“What, did you expect a parade of trumpets to celebrate your win?  You don’t need to take it all so personally, Carisi.”<br/><br/>“I’m not.  You’re the one who’s taking it personally, getting upset at me for treating you the same as any other opposing counsel.”<br/><br/>Carisi is up in his face now, pointing a finger at Rafael’s chest to accentuate his point.  It is totally uncalled for.  Unacceptable, even. But this close up Rafael can smell a hint of Carisi’s aftershave and can see the blue of his eyes.<br/><br/>Then Rafael is reaching up at the same time that Carisi is bending down.  Their mouths meet like colliding warships and they kiss in a frantic clash of teeth and lips.<br/><br/>After a minute, or maybe ten, they part slightly to catch their breath.  Carisi looks stunned at this turn of events and also nervous, as if he’s done something against the rules.<br/><br/>“Is this all right? . . . I mean I wasn’t intending. . .” He trails off, still breathing heavily.<br/><br/>Rafael is less cautious.<br/><br/>“Get your fucking mouth back on me.”<br/><br/>Carisi complies, instantly and with fervor, backing Rafael up until he slams into the side of one of Carisi’s file cabinets.<br/><br/>Rafael is infuriated and infatuated, two sides of the same coin, and two feelings that he needs to express and impart.  He manages to pull the back of Carisi’s dress shirt free and runs his hands up the smooth skin underneath.  He scratches that skin on the way back down, not enough to mark but more than enough to sting.<br/><br/>“Fuck,” Carisi cries out in response.  He wedges a leg between Rafael’s own, which has the result of pushing Rafael upwards until only his toes remain in contact with the floor. <br/><br/>Unyielding metal presses into Rafael from behind as Carisi’s thigh impales him from the front.  Sandwiched in between, he can feel Carisi throbbing against him.  Rafael is trapped, literally, between a cock and a hard place.  It is the kind of pun that Carisi of all people would appreciate, but before Rafael can say it out loud, he gets distracted by Carisi’s hands fumbling with his tie.<br/><br/>Carisi swears in exasperation at the tight knot, then seems to give up on undoing it.  Instead, he grabs ahold of the base of the tie and yanks Rafael’s head closer to deepen their kiss.  When Carisi pulls back, Rafael tries to chase after his mouth.  But Carisi shifts his grip to pull the base of the tie flush against the filing cabinet, holding Rafael in place.<br/><br/>“Look, I get where you’re coming from,” Carisi says, inexplicably continuing their argument while they are in the middle of making out.  “But you’ve gotta recognize that I’m not still the new guy who’s tagging along to observe.  I’m an ADA now and I’ve got my own cases that I’m responsible for.”<br/><br/>Rafael nods in agreement, but he’s only half paying attention to the words because he needs to feel Carisi’s mouth again.  He makes an attempt to recapture those lips, but Carisi gives another tug on the tie, more definitive this time.  The action serves to send half of Rafael’s blood rushing downward.<br/><br/>“No.  You’re going to hear me out, Barba.  It’s not that I wanted to pull anything over on you.  But I took an oath to advocate for my clients as zealously as possible, and so I can’t hold back just because it’s you on the other side of the the courtroom.”<br/><br/>Because everything that he does is animated, Carisi gesticulates with his body as he talks.  Every movement presses his thigh against Rafael’s hardening cock.<br/><br/>“And I’ve gotta make the call that I feel is best for the case, and so that’s why I can’t just let a witness off the hook.  And I can’t give you special deference.  I’ve gotta pursue every angle I can to make my case, you know what I mean?”<br/><br/>Rafael does know what he means, but he finds that he can’t answer right now because he is coming in his pants.  As he ruts inelegantly against Carisi, he thanks God that they’re in the basement.  With any luck, no one is near enough to hear his keening wail.<br/><br/>Once he has finished, he sags weakly against the file cabinet.  Carisi gently helps him get his footing back on the floor, before finding him a bottle of water.<br/><br/>“You ok, Counselor?”<br/><br/>Rafael drains the water bottle before answering.  “I’m feeling pretty fantastic, actually.  But what about you?” he asks with concern.  “You didn’t come.”<br/><br/>“I don’t a have a trench coat with me like you do,” Carisi explains, looking down at his lingering hard on.  “I can’t walk out of the building with my pants ruined.”<br/><br/>“Hmm, that’s a shame.”<br/><br/>“Don’t worry, it was enough just to show you my skills.”<br/><br/>“<em>Show me your skills? </em>  Think highly of yourself then, do you?”<br/><br/>Carisi shrugs off the skepticism.  “If I made you come that hard while fully clothed, just imagine what I could accomplish while naked and inside you.”<br/><br/>Rafael chokes a bit on air at the directness, but he finds that he likes it.<br/><br/>“Look Barba, on a serious note, I really am sorry that I had to steal your witness.  But I stand by my actions.  Are you still mad at me?”<br/><br/>“A little.  Though I’m realizing that I may have failed to fully appreciate your new role as ADA,” Rafael concedes.  “I get that you were just being a good advocate.”<br/><br/>“Thanks.  I appreciate that.”<br/><br/>“Congratulations, Carisi,” Rafael says with sincerity.  “Your win today was an accomplishment.”<br/><br/>“Well I learned from the best.”<br/><br/>“If you like, why don’t you come by my place tonight, and you can show off some more of your <em>non-legal</em> accomplishments?”<br/><br/>Carisi grins.<br/><br/>“I would like that very much.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Rafael showers that evening, his mind returns again and again to Carisi’s words in his office: <em>Just imagine what I could accomplish while naked and inside you</em>.<br/><br/>The promise of it is enticing.  Rafael wonders whether it’s weird that he invited Carisi over for sex, and whether the new ADA will actually come. <br/><br/>Will if be awkward if Carisi shows up?  Will it be even more awkward if he doesn’t, thus rejecting Rafael’s invitation?<br/><br/>Rafael decides to get ready just in case.  Always best to be prepared.  And if Carisi doesn’t come, no one needs to know that Rafael prepped himself like a fool.<br/><br/>His mind keeps turning over the case as well.  He’s accepted that Carisi was in his right to flip his witness.  But he’s still stung by the outcome of the case.  He thinks back on all his arguments, Carisi’s arguments, and the judge’s decisions along the way.<br/><br/>Rafael’s objections to the forensic evidence had been strong.  There had been a weak chain of custody, and that alone should have been enough to sink the prosecution, notwithstanding the strength of the witness’s testimony.<br/><br/>As he towels off, he tells himself to let it be. He might be getting laid tonight, or in the alternative going to bed early, which is honestly nearly as exciting.<br/><br/>It’s almost eleven o’clock when the buzzer rings.  Carisi has also changed out of his court clothes, and he is carrying some sort of an orchid in a ceramic pot.<br/><br/>“You came after all,” Rafael states, momentarily overlooking the question of why Carisi has an orchid with him.<br/><br/>“Yeah.  Is that ok? If you changed your mind, I can go.”<br/><br/>“No, you should stay.  I asked you here, after all.  I just wasn’t sure if you would end up coming.  But I would have been fine with it either way,” Rafael concludes, to show his indifference on the matter.<br/><br/>“Sorry it’s so late, I had to catch up on some other work.  I guess there’s never a break for a junior ADA, even after winning a case.”<br/><br/>“Ah yes, I remember those days.  You know, I was thinking you were lucky to have Judge Sherman on the case today.”<br/><br/>The words are out before Rafael can stop himself.  He knows he shouldn’t be stirring things up.  After all, Carisi is here so that they can have some mutually pleasurable sex, not so that they can relitigate the case.  But he just can’t stop himself.<br/><br/>Carisi’s brow furrows in concern.  “What do you mean?”<br/><br/>“Never mind, forget I said anything.”<br/><br/>“Well you already brought it up.  Why was I lucky?”<br/><br/>“It’s just that most other judges would have upheld my evidentiary objections, and that would have been the end of your case.”<br/><br/>Carisi looks crestfallen.  “Do you really think so?”<br/><br/>“Let’s talk about it later.  Do you want me to do something with that?” Rafael asks, gesturing at the orchid.<br/><br/>“Oh yeah, this is for you,” Carisi says, holding it out to him.<br/><br/>“For me?”  Rafael takes the plant and places it on his kitchen counter.  It has beautiful shades of purple, but he’s not really sure what it’s here for.<br/><br/>“Sorry, is it weird that I brought you a houseplant?  I felt like I should bring something, but a bouquet of flowers seemed too date-like.  And I figured that’s not really what this is, right?”<br/><br/>“Right,” Rafael answers with an air of certainty that he does not necessarily feel.  “This is just us fucking out our frustrations, not anything like a date.”<br/><br/>“Yeah so cut flowers were out, and my other options at the bodega were kind of limited.  Besides which I’m not really sure what the gift protocol is after. . .” Carisi trails off, seemingly unsure how to proceed.<br/><br/>“After making your opposing counsel come against your file cabinet?” Rafael supplies. Let no one ever say that he was unhelpful.<br/><br/>“Yeah, that.”  Carisi blushes slightly at the thought.<br/><br/>“Regrets?” Rafael asks, not quite sure he wants to hear the response.<br/><br/>“God no. One hundred percent no regrets.  One hundred percent would do again.”<br/><br/>Carisi‘s blush deepens, as if he feels he’s revealed too much.  Rafael decides to offer some levity.<br/><br/>“Sorry to disappoint, but my home filing cabinet is a bit too small for a repeat performance.”<br/><br/>Despite his deadpan delivery, Rafael is clearly joking.  As is Carisi when he quips in return: “Well, we could always get creative.”<br/><br/>They are both definitely, clearly joking.<br/><br/>And yet some minutes later, following hurried negotiations and a frantic search for lube and condoms, Rafael finds himself half naked and draped over the cabinet in question.  The soft kisses that Carisi is peppering over the back of his neck contrast with the sharp edge of the cabinet digging into his thighs. <br/><br/>Carisi’s ministrations are soothing, almost affectionate.  But that’s not what this is, and it’s not what Rafael needs right now.  He needs something hard and fast, to release his stress and make him forget about losing the case.<br/><br/>“I thought you were supposed to be showing off your skills tonight, Carisi.”<br/><br/>“Yeah, yeah, I’m getting to it.  Let a guy have a little foreplay.  Hey, do you need a blanket or something to cushion you from the cabinet?”<br/><br/>Carisi sounds worried for him, which is kind of sweet, but Rafael doesn’t need to be coddled.<br/><br/>“If I wanted to be comfortable, we would be doing this in my bed.”<br/><br/>“Ok.  Sure, sure.  But will this position be ok for your back?”<br/><br/>Rafael turns his head to throw a glare backwards.  The metal cabinet top is cool against his cheek.<br/><br/>“I’m not <em>that</em> old, Carisi.”<br/><br/>“Duly noted.”<br/><br/>As Carisi eases his first finger inside, he seems to note the lack of resistance.<br/><br/>“Wait, Barba - did you . . . are you. . . ?”<br/><br/>“I may have taken the liberty of prepping myself in the shower earlier,” Rafael explains.<br/><br/>“Holy fuck,” Carisi responds, his voice suddenly hoarse.  “Wait, did you . . . did you do that for <em>me</em>?”<br/><br/>“No, I prepped myself for all the other ADAs I invited back to my apartment tonight.  Of course it was for you, Carisi.”<br/><br/>“So you <em>did</em> hope I would come over tonight.”  There is now a note of triumph in Carisi’s tone.<br/><br/>“I suppose so.” <br/><br/>That admission, more so than his bared ass and prone position, makes Rafael feel open and exposed.<br/><br/>Carisi takes care in opening him up, even with the prior prep, before slowly sinking inside.  He pulls Rafael backwards onto the final few inches, and Rafael sighs into the pleasing stretch.  Once fully seated, Carisi stays remarkably still.<br/><br/>“What’s the hold-up?” Rafael asks.<br/><br/>“I’m thinking about what you said before.  Do you really think I would have lost with any other judge?”<br/><br/>“Seriously, you’re bringing that up again?”<br/><br/>“I thought we were past it, actually, until you brought it up yourself a few minutes ago.  Now I can’t stop thinking about what you said.”<br/><br/>“Just put it to the side, and think about it later.”<br/><br/>“Come on, Barba,” Carisi argues back.  “You can’t just say I got lucky, make me start start second-guessing my win, and then tell me to forget about it.”<br/><br/>Rafael knows the feeling of obsessing over the outcome of a case, win or lose.  Analyzing all the decisions made and running through the what-if’s.  Hell, he’d been doing the same thing himself all evening.  But now is not the moment for such introspection.  Not when Carisi is buried inside of him.<br/><br/>“Carisi,” Rafael says through gritted teeth, “can you just forget about it for now, because I really need you to focus on fucking me.”<br/><br/>The ADA gives a little huff at the directive, but he does not move.<br/><br/>“I will, but only if you concede that I deserved to win the case.”<br/><br/>Carisi is kneading the meat of Rafael’s hips now, testing and adjusting his grip as if to perfectly position his hands for the moment when he decides to let loose.  The anticipation makes Rafael weak-kneed.  But he is not going to give in that quickly.<br/><br/>“I don’t make deals with extortionists.  I am not giving you affirmations in return for an orgasm.”<br/><br/>“Your choice,” Carisi says.  “Just know that I have a lot of stamina.  I’m good to stay like this for awhile.”<br/><br/>Rafael folds embarrassingly quickly.<br/><br/>“Ok, fine.  You deserved to win the case because you questioned your witnesses just right.”<br/><br/>In response, Carisi finally begins to move.  He withdraws partway, then slams home, nailing Rafael’s prostate.<br/><br/>“<em>Fuck!</em>”<br/><br/>It feels so good, so satisfying.  Rafael squirms slightly as he waits for more, his eagerness turning to impatience.<br/><br/>“Well, is that all you’re going to give me?”<br/><br/>“Tell me another reason why I deserved to win the case.”<br/><br/>“Another one?  Somebody’s needy tonight,” Rafael mutters as he tries to take matters into his own hands and fuck himself on Carisi's cock.  But the grip on his hips is too tight, allowing for no movement back and forth and only a modicum side to side. <br/><br/>With the small leeway he has, Rafael rocks from one foot to another, seeking any stimulation he can get.  The motion only serves to make him want more, though, and he lets out a whine of frustration.<br/><br/>“And you say I’m the needy one?” Carisi chuckles.  “Look at you, turning yourself on my cock like a pig on a spit.”<br/><br/>Rafael feels a slow, tingly heat spread through him at this call-out of his body’s desperation.  He vaguely thinks he should feel offended at Carisi’s crass comparison. But it just makes his need more urgent.<br/><br/>He starts to bring a hand down to touch himself. The move is met by a swift slap to his ass.  It is light - a warning, or maybe a rebuke, Rafael’s not really sure.  In any case, it stops him in his tracks.<br/><br/>“Hands stay on the cabinet.”<br/><br/>“Fuck,” Rafael says, again.   He’s not sure when exactly he decided to hand Carisi full control of his orgasm, but he scrambles to comply.  Both hands stretch out to grip the far end of the cabinet top.<br/><br/>He begins to think maybe it would be better to just comply with Carisi’s other order as well.  It’s not hard to think of another reason why the junior ADA deserved to win - he had, after all, conducted himself admirably at trial.  Rafael’s damn stubbornness is the only thing standing in the way.<br/><br/>“Ok Carisi, you deserved to win because you gave a clear and compelling closing argument.”<br/><br/>“See, Rafael, that wasn’t so hard after all,” Carisi says in a maddeningly cheerful tone.  He proceeds to thrust into Rafael a second time, making him yell at the spark that courses through him.<br/><br/>This goes on some half a dozen more times.  Each time Rafael offers a reason for Carisi’s victory, the ADA withdraws and slams into him again.  Eventually, even Carisi’s restraint seems to be waning.<br/><br/>“Hey, you good if I just let go now?” he pauses to ask, a thumb rubbing circles over Rafael’s lower back.<br/><br/>“Yes, that’s what I’ve been fucking waiting for,” Rafael retorts.  The words are barely out of his mouth before Carisi is fucking into him, fast and furious.<br/><br/>Rafael can hear Carisi behind him swearing about how good he feels, about how it’s better than he ever imagined - how many times has Carisi imagined this, anyway? - while for his part Rafael feels himself getting closer and closer.  Carisi still won’t touch him, though, and Rafael needs that final piece to come.<br/><br/>That is until a particularly strong thrust makes him lose his grip, and he lurches forward. His cock catches on the handle of the top drawer, and then he is coming hard against the cabinet. <br/><br/>He worries briefly about whether or not he’s closed the lower drawers all the way, because he surely can’t file legal documents with his dried cum streaked across them.  But then he feels Carisi coming inside him, and all other thoughts fall to the wayside.<br/><br/>Once Carisi has carefully extricated himself, Rafael pushes himself off of the cabinet on rubbery arms.  He winces as he stretches his achy back.<br/><br/>“I warned you about your back,” Carisi notes.<br/><br/>“God you’re such a lawyer,” Rafael chides.  He grabs Carisi by the hand and tugs him towards the bedroom.  “Come with me.”<br/><br/>“Where are we going?” Carisi asks, though he follows willingly.<br/><br/>“I need to lie down to recover, and you seem like you’ll make an excellent pillow.”<br/><br/>They sprawl themselves out on top of the bed, and Rafael draws Carisi in for more kisses.  This time, their makeout session is slow and languorous, a counterpoint to the frenzied push and pull in Carisi’s office earlier that day.<br/><br/>“We should do this again sometime,” Rafael murmurs, without thinking much about the import of his words.  He just knows that he likes the feel of Carisi’s body pressed against his, and the way Carisi’s hand is ruffling absently through his hair.<br/><br/>“What, you mean like another frustration fuck?” Carisi asks.<br/><br/>“Yeah.  That.”  It’s not exactly what Rafael meant, but he’s not even sure himself what he means.  It’s not like he wants to date Sonny Carisi or anything, right?  He pushes the thought from his mind, returning to the soft lips before him.<br/><br/>“God it’s getting late, I should probably head out,” Carisi groans in between kisses. <br/><br/>“Yes, I guess we should get you on your way.”<br/><br/>Rafael helps Carisi find his clothing, which is strewn all around the apartment.  Finally the ADA has it all back on and is ready to go.<br/><br/>“You gonna turn in for the night, Barba?”<br/><br/>“I’ll probably order some delivery first.  I don’t think I have anything besides coffee and cereal in my cabinets.”<br/><br/>Carisi gives him a stunned look. <br/><br/>“Seriously Barba?  You’ve gotta keep some groceries in the apartment.  You know, to take care of yourself.”<br/><br/>Rafael raises an eyebrow.  “I appreciate your concern, Carisi, but I’ve managed to make it this long with my poor homemaking skills.”<br/><br/>“Still.  How about next time, I cook you up a big batch of something, and we can load up your freezer with the leftovers.”<br/><br/>“You want to cook for me?” Rafael asks incredulously.<br/><br/>“Yeah.  I mean, before we get to the fucking, of course.”<br/><br/>Rafael smiles.  He thinks he likes the idea of Carisi cooking for him.  And bickering with him.  And staying over with him.  He chooses his next words carefully.<br/><br/>“Look, Carisi.  Next time, if you wanted to bring a bouquet of flowers. . . I wouldn’t be opposed.  If you wanted to, of course.”<br/><br/>Carisi’s smile lights up the room.  “Of course I want to.  It’s a date.”</p>
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